WASHINGTON (BP) -- All 50 states are now free to sponsor gambling on sporting events.

In a 6-3 ruling Monday (May 14), the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 1992 law that prevented state authorization of sports gambling. The decision -- which reversed opinions by lower courts -- means states may legalize and operate betting on professional and college sports.

It appears gambling on sporting events will soon become a reality beyond Nevada, which was exempted from the original law. The law also enabled Delaware, Montana and Oregon to have limited legal sports gambling. Read More

OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) -- Legislation passed in Oklahoma and Kansas to protect the religious liberty of adoption agencies has drawn praise from Baptist leaders in those states and criticism from homosexual activist groups.

In Oklahoma, Republican Gov. Mary Fallin signed Senate Bill 1140 on May 11. The measure protects private organizations from being required to take part in the placement of a child for foster care or adoption when the action would violate their "written religious or moral convictions or policies." The law permits faith-based adoption agencies to abide by their religious convictions in refusing to place children with same-sex couples. Read More

DALLAS (BP) -- Second-generation Asian American pastors and others called to cross-cultural ministry are the focus of a panel discussion from noon to 1 p.m. June 12 in Dallas.

The 2nd-Generation Pastors and Planters Fellowship is open not only to Asian Americans, but second-generation pastors of any ethnic origin called to ministry outside their personal cultural groups in the U.S., said event organizer Thomas Wong.

"We just want to encourage that second generation -- who may not feel that they have resources, mentors or coaches -- that they can access guys like us," said Wong, president of the National Asian-American Second Generation Fellowship hosting the event. Read More

CLINTON, Miss. (BP) -- A Mississippi native now serving as an Ohio State University vice president has been selected as the new president of Mississippi College.

Blake Thompson, 43, will start July 1 as president of the 5,200-student college affiliated with the Mississippi Baptist Convention, succeeding Lee Royce, who retires June 30 after 16 years as president.

At Ohio State where Thompson joined its administrative leadership in 2009, he serves as vice president of the office of government affairs, representing the university at the local, state and federal levels, and as board secretary, one of three elected trustee officers at the 60,000-student university. Read More

Formed in 1946 by the Southern Baptist Convention, and supported with Cooperative Program funds, Baptist Press (BP) is a daily (Monday-Friday) international news service. Operating from a central bureau in Nashville, Tenn., BP works with a large network of contributing writers, photographers and editorial providers to produce BP News.